RUBBER MILL IDLE

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29802, 19 April 1962, Page 15

RUBBER MILL IDLE

Union Seeks Agreement Protesting against “the manner in which workers are suspended pending confirmation of their dismissal.” 150 workers employed by the Empire Rubber Mill, Cumnor terrace, Christchurch, went home at 10.30 a.m. yesterday after a stop-work meeting. This information was given by the secretary of the Canterbury Rubber Workers' Union (Mr T. C. Fletcher) last evening. Asked how the workers were suspended, Mr Fletcher said: “That involves the technical points of the argument. I do not intend to elaborate.’’ The mill manager (Mr G. J. Inglis) and other principals of the firm, refused to comment.

Mr Fletcher will address a general meeting of the workers this morning on the outcome of talks he had with officers of the Labour Department yesterday. After addressing workers yesterday, Mr Fletcher spent two hours talking with the management. He urged the company to agree to a similar conduct agreement and procedure for agreement as operated by other rubber mills. The managers of these companies had found the agreements successful, Mr Fletcher said.

The Empire management had refused to negotiate such an agreement and instead had put something else on paper ‘‘which, in our-opinion, was a waste of good paper.”